Towards a Critical Theory of Reflective Inquiry

Abstract

Although reflective inquiry has been pro moted for many years as a progressive and effective method of teaching the social studies, its incorporation into classroom practice remains question able. Ross and Hannay assign part of the blame to those interpreters of Dewey's inquiry model who advocate a procedural or technical rather than a dialectic approach to thinking. Teacher education practices also contribute to the lack of critical reflection existing in schools. Too frequently the rationale for reflective teaching is expounded through expository techniques and a technical inquiry approach. The authors argue that the university classroom must become not only the venue for transmitting traditional know ledge on teacher education but also a laboratory where such practices are modeled, experienced, and reflected upon. Such a truly reflective inquiry model needs to be firmly grounded in critical theory by incorporating the appli cation of principles, not procedures, in the investigation of social issues.

Developing and Sustaining Critical Reflection in Teacher Education

“…For myself, I am of the view that focusing on the reductionist aspects of the teachinglearning process that have a technocratic orientation to them, in the absence of the wider ethical and political scenery, is to fail to make the crucial linkage between issues of agency and structure and to relegate teachers to being nothing more than "a cog in a self-perpetuating machine" (Tom, 1985, p. 38). Teaching, and reflection upon it, has a lot more to do with intentionality and the way in which teachers are able to be active agents (Ross and Hannay, 1986) in making the linkages between economic structures, social and cultural conditions, and the way schooling works.…”

The Reflective Practitioner and the Curriculum of Teacher Education

“…Campbell, 1988). Critical discourse is necessary to help students examine their personal theories of action as well as the theories they learn in their professional course work (Ross & Hannay, 1986). The commonsensical needs to be seen as problematic and knowledge is to be understood as socially constructed (Beyer, 1984).…”

Using video to analyze one's own teaching

“…One of the first definitions of reflection in teaching is an “active, persistent, and careful consideration of belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it ends” (Dewey, 1933, p. 9). Others have defined reflection as problem solving (Bigge & Shermis, 1992); attempts to make sense of the world (Brubacher, Case & Reagan, 1994); the capacity of a teacher to think creatively, imaginatively and critically about classroom practice (Norton, 1994); thinking rationally about and assuming responsibility for one's educational choices (Ross, 1989); an investigation of the social problems realized in living through them (Ross & Hannay, 1986); and framing, analyzing and acting purposefully on a situation with the end of changing it (Schön, 1983). Reducing these to a single definition, we might encapsulate reflection as a self‐critical, investigative process wherein teachers consider the effect of their pedagogical decisions on their situated practice with the aim of improving those practices.…”